# Is "The Whitsun Weddings" by Philip Larkin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Whitsun Weddings by Philip Larkin (Faber & Faber, 1964) is identified by: UK Faber first edition, first impression, published 28 February 1964: original cloth lettered in gilt, in the dust jacket designed by Berthold Wolpe and with its printed price (the printed price), unclipped. The UK Faber edition (1964) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Faber first edition, first impression, published 28 February 1964: original cloth lettered in gilt, in the dust jacket designed by Berthold Wolpe and with its printed price (the printed price), unclipped
- The first impression carries no reprint statement
- Bloomfield A7a
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Larkin |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | UK Faber first edition, first impression, published 28 February 1964: original cloth lettered in gilt, in the dust jacket designed by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK Faber first edition, first impression, published 28 February 1964: original cloth lettered in gilt, in the dust jacket designed by Berthold Wolpe and with its printed price (the printed price), unclipped. The first impression carries no reprint statement. Bloomfield A7a.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Faber edition (1964) is the true first. No significant American trade first appeared until later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. Later Faber impressions add reprint statements.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Whitsun Weddings* by Philip Larkin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-whitsun-weddings
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.